


Afraid of the Dark

by jhwalter17



Category: Gone Series - Michael Grant
Genre: Cheating, Desperation don't judge me, F/M, I love quana idgaf, Kissing, Minor Groping, might be a part 3 if I feel like it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:40:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22282747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jhwalter17/pseuds/jhwalter17
Summary: A what-if scenario about Quinn and Lana during Fear (and after the FAYZ) decided that since he and everyone else in the FAYZ were going to die, why not take a risk with the girl he has a huge crush on, Lana Arwen-Lazar? Mainly Quana, with a bit of Caina thrown in.
Relationships: Diana Ladris/Caine Soren, Quinn Gaither/Lana Arwen Lazar
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

Quinn stares dully into the bonfire, sitting next to Caine, Lana, and other kids. The fire was beginning to get lower, so Caine raises his hand, causing a few desks to fall into the flame, As they catch fire, the blaze begins to burn brighter and more intensely. Quinn sighs and glances at Lana, who is also staring into the flames. He wanted so desperately to tell her how much he still cared about her, and how he was sorry he had let her go when he had the chance. How he'd been a coward. But she was the Healer, and he was just Quinn, the Fisherman. Sure he fed the town, but it was nothing compared to her. And Quinn liked Sanjit, he was a great guy. He even volunteered to help Quinn fish once, and he wasn't half bad. He didn't want to do that to her or to him. Plus, it would be super awkward for Quinn if she knew how he really felt since he enjoyed hanging out with her. Quinn looks backward into the darkness. He bites his lip. If it really was the end, well… Patrick walks over to Quinn, wagging his tail. He puts his head onto Quinn's lap. Quinn scratches him behind the ears, thinking. He thought about what could have been between them. He could have been living with her, sleeping with her, keeping her company, making her feel better when she was depressed. But no. He should have tried to help her, not run away. Quinn sighs again. Caine looks to him, annoyed.

"Do you mind shutting up? I'm kind of in the mood for silence."

Quinn looks up from the fire. "Sorry. I was just thinking...about stuff." A house catches fire down the street next to where Quinn is sitting. He stands quickly. "Shit. I should take care of that," Quinn says.

Caine laughs. "Don't bother. We're all going to die soon, who the hell cares if a house, or two, or even the whole town burns down?" He shrugs nonchalantly.

Quinn sits back down and took a deep breath. "Yeah. But, still..."

Caine grits his teeth. "No, you don't get it, do you? Once the light goes, we're all done, unless Sam somehow is able to find us. But that wouldn't matter anyway. We won't be able to grow food. We'll all starve." Caine exhales, frustrated.

Quinn swallows and puts his head in his hands. "Yeah. But this is my hometown. I….I can't just..."

Caine shakes his head slowly. "Look, I'm sorry, Fisherman. I really am. But you can't do anything. This isn't like your little strike. You don't have any power here."

Lana picks her head up. "No. Caine, you're wrong." She thinks. "Well, right about the power thing. Sorry, Quinn, We're all hopeless there. But you're wrong that he can't do anything. We all can do something to fight it. To fight the Gaiaphage. We need to keep living, for as long as possible. I believe in Sam, I'm sure Quinn does, and I hope you can too, Caine. He'll make it here somehow."

Caine smirks at her. "Wow, were you thinking of that little speech this whole time? Is that why you were so distant?" Lana shoots a dark look at Caine, causing the smirk to disappear from his face.

"Lana, is everything okay?" Quinn asks.

"Why do you ask?" She responds.

"I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that you've been staring into the fire for the past twenty minutes looking like you want to jump in. Or maybe it's the fact that I'm not okay so I just want to hear someone say that they are, but that wouldn't make sense since it's you. Or maybe I'm crazy. Who knows anymore."

The faint traces of a smile appear on Lana's face. "Well, I don't think you're crazy. Not yet, anyway. And I was just thinking. About stuff." Quinn smiles. Lana frowns. "The gaiaphage. It's impatient. It wants a body, and it's so close. And I can't do shit to stop it," she says bitterly, kicking at the dirt.

"I thought you said if we stay alive, that'll help stop it," Caine mutters.

"No, idiot, I said that's how we can fight it. But it'll be much harder to stay alive if it has a body," Lana says, annoyed. "And of course you know it wants yours and Diana's baby. And it needs Diana to get it. Probably sent Drake after her." Caine's eyes widen. Lana places a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. She's alive. For now. Until the baby is born."

Caine exhales. "Okay," Caine says quietly, nodding. "Okay." He takes a shaky breath.

Lana smirks. "What, no smarm anymore?"

Caine puts his head in his hands. "I...I don't know. It's just...after everything with Penny, I was at my lowest point. So I thought I could build myself back up, get back on my feet. But now, I...I can't stop thinking about Diana. And how much she's suffering. And how I'm so fucking useless that I can only stay alive?! How's that helping her, Lana?!" Caine shouts emotionally, standing up. "She's out there, in the dark, with Drake, or the Gaiaphage, and I'm stuck here! All because...because…" Caine sits down again. "I just...I just want to be with Diana," he says softly.

Quinn clears his throat. Lana looks over to him. "Lana, you never answered if you were okay," he says.

Lana thinks for a few seconds. "I guess as much as I could be in this situation." Quinn nods slowly. She holds out her hand. Quinn takes it and squeezes it. She holds one out to Caine too, but he ignores her, turning away stubbornly. "We have to stay calm and hope that Sam will make it here, somehow. I sent Sanjit to let him know we needed lights." Lana swallows, eyes widening. "Oh, God, I hope he made it okay. Especially considering I might never see him again," Lana says bitterly, putting her hands under her chin. "I'm just as stuck as you, Caine."

Quinn curls his lip and sighs. "He's fast and strong and a quick thinker. I'm...I'm sure he's fine. And Sam'll help him and any other kids he can find. He's awesome like that." Quinn says reassuringly. He swallows, glancing over at her. "You really like him, don't you?" Quinn asks.

Lana nods. "Yeah. He's great. Smart, and he's not too bad looking. Plus he can make me laugh no matter how bad I'm feeling." Lana thinks for a few seconds. "Probably not someone I'd get together with in real life, but in here, he's the best thing that's happened. Keeps me sane. Though I guess you two clowns will have to do, right now."

Caine shakes his head slowly. They both turn to look at him. "No. There's no way. With no light, we're dead. There's no way out. It doesn't matter anymore. Nothing matters. The light keeps us all sane," he says softly, beginning to tear up. "Diana..." He groans. "I messed up. So much. She'll never...she..."

Quinn takes a deep breath. "Caine. It seems like you really love her, despite...well, being you. And if she really loves you too, then...well, it'll all work out. But you need to live, for her sake. And in the future, just be honest with each other...don't...hold anything back..." Quinn trails off. Guess I'm being a bit hypocritical, huh...well, I guess it's now or never then, he thinks to himself. Quinn stands up. "Hey, Lana, um, can I...talk to you about something? In private? Caine can watch over everything for a bit. Probably." Quinn eyes Caine, who continues staring into the fire, eyes dead.

Lana scrunches her brow. "What?"

Quinn swallows. "I just have something important I need to tell you."


	2. Chapter 2

Lana follows Quinn down the street. Where was he taking her? It wasn't in the direction of the fire. Well, she had brought him to an alley just to show him how dark it was, so she wasn't really one to talk. They continue walking down the street until they can barely see one another in the faint light. Quinn stops walking. "Okay, this is far enough. We can still see a bit here."

Lana looks around them. They are standing in front of an ice cream store. "Quinn, what is this? Why are we here?" She asks.

He takes a deep breath and swallows. "The location doesn't really matter. I just need to...I…" He trails off, looking at the street, clenching his hands.

Lana raises an eyebrow. "You need to what, Quinn? Spit it out."

"I...it's...dark, isn't it?" Quinn asks, flustered.

"Um, yeah, I told you that already. And it's super obvious anyway."

Quinn sighs. "We need to go farther. Let's keep going."

Lana shrugs. "As long as you actually tell me what you're thinking about. You can't hide things from me." Quinn nods slowly. Lana follows Quinn until they can't see one another.

He takes another deep breath. "Lana, I一" Lana gasps and grabs his arm. "What? What's wrong?!" Quinn exclaims.

Lana takes short breaths and releases his arm. "The gaiaphage. Drake just reached the mineshaft. We don't have much time."

"Are...are you sure?" Quinn asks nervously.

Lana stares at him intensely. "Quinn, I think I'd know." Quinn takes a shaky breath and reaches for her arm. Lana slaps him across the face.

"Ow, what the hell!?" He exclaims, touching his cheek gingerly.

"That was my boob, dumbass," Lana says, annoyed.

Quinn blushes. "Oh. Oh, I...I'm sorry, I…"

"Hmph. Whatever. It was an accident. But anyway, tell me what you're hiding now so we can head back. We need to use what time we have left to prepare."

Quinn nods slowly. "Fine." Quinn leans in and kisses Lana. Her eyes widen for a second, but then she closes her eyes, kissing him back. They fall backwards, onto a patch of grass kissing and grabbing at one another, rolling on the grass, desperate for that touch. That warmth and desire that made them human. The one thing that made them feel secure in the hell that is the FAYZ. After a few more seconds, Lana pushes him off of her and then punches him in the face and then the stomach. He inhales sharply, doubling over in pain. "I guess I deserve that," he says, winded.

"What the hell, Quinn? Why would you do that?" Lana exclaims angrily.

He shrugs and touches his face. "It might be the end, Lana. I don't want to have any regrets if I'm going to die. And besides, you kissed me back."

"That...that was…" Lana says, flushed with anger and embarrassment. "I...I love Sanjit. He's great. But...but, you, you were….you were...I don't know, maybe I wanted to know what I could have had if you weren't such a scared little bitch!"

Quinn sighs. "You're right, I was scared, at the time. I wish I wasn't, it's one of my biggest regrets. Sanjit wasn't scared. He's been through hell, so it's understandable. I wish I could have been more like him. It's just…" Quinn bites his lip. "It's just that you're this amazing figure, the Healer, and I'm just some worker, just a fisherman. I'm not really worthy to be with you. But I still can't get you out of my head. I still like you and care about you."

"Oh." Lana looks down at the ground. "Quinn, you have such a low opinion of yourself. It's kinda sad, really. Look around you...metaphorically, I guess. This whole town only survived because of the fish that you brought in. You're the Fisherman, capital F, just like I'm the Healer, capital H. You're one of the most powerful and influential people here. You made Caine of all people succumb to you. You beat up Penny. All of that is super impressive and brave, and I wish you could realize that. Hell, you kissed me here, and that takes guts. If it was light out I would have shot you. You might not think you're good enough for me, but I've always thought that you were. Since the beginning. And I wished you'd realized sooner."

Quinn says nothing for a while, making Lana wonder if she had somehow knocked him unconscious. Man, if she had Jack's power....Lana shakes her head, refocusing on Quinn. "Wow...Huh...Huh...Hey, um, you might not, but do you remember that night we danced at the McClub?" He asks slowly.

Lana frowns. "Yeah. It was fun, what about it?"

Quinn smiles. "Well, the only reason I started fishing in the first place was because of the whole metaphor you were talking about with the gaiaphage." Lana's eyes widen. Her mouth opens. "So, I guess I have you to thank for making me change for the better into this strong person you say that I am."

Lana smiles. "I guess I do. Here, let's head to a bit of light so we can see each other." Lana stands, and Quinn follows her back to the ice cream store. Lana and Quinn look at one another. They both are blushing, causing them to look away. Lana sighs. "Now, look, Quinn, I still do...like you. I still care about you. There, I said it. Hooray." Quinn smiles shyly. "But, and a big but, I'm still with Sanjit right now, who I also like and care about. So I'm sorry, but if somehow we survive this darkness, nothing will change between us, except probably awkwardness."

Quinn nods slowly. "Yeah, I thought so."

"But, I'm glad we both got this out, since if it is the end, you're right, we shouldn't hold things inside." Lana wraps Quinn in a hug. He hugs her back. "You know if we make it, I'm going to have to tell Sanjit what happened," she whispers.

Quinn nods. "Yeah. And I'd want you to." He stops talking for a few seconds. Quinn bites his lip, causing Lana to frown. "But...Lana, you said you wouldn't really be into Sanjit outside of the FAYZ. What if we get out of here somehow? What about then?"

Lana sighs. "I don't know, Quinn. We'll cross that bridge if we get to it. But...I don't know. We'll all probably die anyway before that happens." Quinn laughs softly and breaks from the hug. She smirks. "Don't get your hopes up. And if the FAYZ comes down it'll be since the gaiaphage gets free and we'd all be dead then too. And you'd better not act any differently than before this whole conversation, got it? I don't want any awkwardness, I still appreciate your friendship."

Quinn nods curtly. "Yes, ma'am."

"Perfect. Now let's head back. The fire's dying and we're almost out of kindling. And Caine's having his episode." She glances back at him. "I hope you're not afraid of the dark."


End file.
